She Hit Peak Performance. Her Body Stopped Her. Her Leadership Never Did with April DIaz

She was in the best shape of her life. 43 years old, running on all levels, cylinders, killing it by every measure that matters in business. Then one day, her body stopped. Doctors ran over 200 tests. Everything came back normal. She couldn't shower without going back to bed for 3 hours. I can't even imagine that.

Hmm.

Her brain stopped working and nobody could tell her why. It took six months to get a diagnosis, eighteen months of treatment after that, two hundred thousand dollars in medical bills, and through all of it, she kept leading. Today, she joins me to talk about what that experience taught her about leadership, about the body, and about what happens when the foundation cracks under the pressure, and that pressure that we just keep. keep piling on. This is the NeuroLeadership Edge. I'm Claire Hayek, NeuroLeadership expert, TEDx speaker, and founder of Mind Soul Purpose Team Building. I spent more than 20 years leading high-stakes projects and teams under pressure. This show exists because pressure is the defining variable in leadership performance. And most leaders are never given the tools to handle it. Today's conversation is going to give you 3 things. A complete different way to think about your body as a leadership asset and what happens to your performance when you stop treating it like one. 2, an honest look at what it costs to push through when your foundation is already cracked. 3, a practical lens for what holistic leadership actually means in actual practice. Not as a theory, not as a concept, but as a lived operating system. So let's dive right in. My guest today is April Diaz, founder and CEO of Azer and Co. April has spent over 25 years in leadership and human development. She has worked with more than 1,000 leaders across industries, C-suite execs, Professional athletes, Olympians, and emerging leaders worldwide. Her work centers on what she calls holistic leadership, the idea that actual external results are a direct reflection of internal capacity. She definitely speaks my language. And she has lived that principle in ways most people never have to. April, welcome to the NeuroLeadership Edge. How are you?

Good. Claire, I've been so looking forward to this conversation, so thank you for having me.

Thanks for joining. I know you have to travel after this, so, you know, you're making it happen, and I really appreciate it. April, let's, let's dive in. I want to start right away, and let's start right where it gets real. You are 43 years old. By your account, from what you said, you're in peak physical condition, and then something happened that nobody could put their finger on it. Take us there.

What Yeah, March 30th, 2023, I got sick overnight. My body just collapsed. Um, I was not functioning. I mean, you said it great in the intro. I had over 6 months of just countless doctor appointments, over 200 blood tests, referral after referral. Everything came back normal, and I was clearly not normal. Yeah. And I am not someone who just goes, okay, well, I guess this is my new normal. I guess this is how I'm just gonna have to function, because I was I mean, I was on a good day, like 50% of my capacity. And being so young and having been so healthy, it was just unacceptable for me. And so I kept pushing in and exploring and asking questions and researching. And I believe that, you know, I'm ultimately responsible for caring for my body, not the doctors that I'm going to outsource that to. We're in partnership, but like, this is my, this is my body. I got to take care of it.

Yeah.

So finally, November of 2023, I saw the right doctor, got into the office. He listened to my story and said, I think I know what's going on. Let's run a couple of tests. Those 2 tests came back very definitive, very clear, and the diagnosis was highly elevated mold toxicity. And when he told me in his office, my husband is sitting next to me, and I remember because I actually was not feeling well at all that day. It was not a good day. And he said it to me, and first there was a wave of relief of like, okay, now we can figure out what do we do with this. But then the second thing, I just looked at him square in the eye and I said, listen, doc, I might be in my 40s, but I am not moldy. And he chuckled and was like, okay, this is what we're gonna do.

You were able to make a joke about it. That's pretty cool. I had to.

I had to because I was so sick for so long and I'm not someone who gets sick. And so the relief was also kind of mixed in with this, oh, it just got really real. And I don't know what healing and recovery and treatment is going to look like. And so Yeah, in the moment, I just, I had to make a joke. I had to make light of it.

Right.

So that started, I mean, I think you said 18 months. It, it was probably closer to 2 years of treatment. And in 2024, I had over 200 medical claims and I would spend hours a week in the doctor's office getting IV therapy to help my body heal and recover. There was, there was just massive changes. So it was, um, that was when it felt like the bottom fell out for my life. Yeah.

I mean, you know, when, when the body's under sustained toxic load like that, you know, the brain threat detection system, the amygdala goes into overdrive. So I can just imagine what your nervous system was going through.

Yes.

And, you know, when that alarm stays on for months, years, it literally begins competing with the prefrontal cortex, the brain CEO, in clear thinking, decision-making. I mean, it's amazing. But I mean, I'm so happy that, you know, we're talking about this. I think this is very important. And, um, and to bring awareness to this, pretty much. So, uh, and I know, you know, we had a pre-call, of course, uh, before this show, and you, you said something in our pre-call that stayed with me. You made a decision early on that you were not gonna waste this, right? So whatever was happening to you was happening for you.

Love that.

That is a significant shift to make when you are, uh, basically a non-functional person and in pain. It's, it's huge for you to be able to, to take in that way. And I mean, it's horrible. And I'm not saying, hey, kudos for you, but I mean, what are you gonna do, right? So you took it as a gift and say, okay, yeah, how— what am I gonna do with this? So I want to understand, I want to unpack, where did that come from, that your ability to be able to see this as something happening For you and not to you?

It was more of a commitment than it was a feeling. I didn't— I felt like it was definitely happening to me. And the more that we got into the journey, you know, like the feeling was, it was just everything was being destroyed in my life. However, it was the commitment that I wasn't going to waste it. And when you set a commitment, you know, and a mindset, your body and your beliefs and your feelings start to align with that, right? I think part of it was I'm a person of faith. And so there was this deep sense within me of something bigger is happening here. And it's not just to me, but I think that lots of people go through really hard stuff. And I know that when I look at people that I have lots of respect for, I admire, I want to be like them when I grow up. I look at them and nobody's had it easy. You know, they've been fired, they've been divorced, they've lost a child.

Yeah.

They have experienced extraordinary Difficulties. But I look at what has happened in their life and go, oh, it was actually those really difficult, painful struggles and challenges that forged something really beautiful and powerful in their life. And I want to be like that. You know, I just don't think— I don't see anybody in my world that I really respect and go, they have had it so easy. They had a trust fund and they never experienced anything difficult. And they just had it up and to the right their whole life. Rarely the case. Rarely the case.

Never.

Because that's not our life. That's not, that's not lifing.

Yeah.

And so I made that commitment because I also just know, like, lots of people go through really hard stuff and don't have as much privilege or don't have as many resources. And so if there's anything that I can leverage for the other, I want to be able to be of service. And so even this year, I entered into 2026 feeling good for the first time in 3 years, you know, entering a new year. And I actually started 2026. A friend referred me to a friend and she's experiencing mold toxicity and just a ton of stuff. And we spent 2 and a half hours on the phone on January 1st, 2026. And there was something very redemptive and full circle for me of going, she is starting the year with so much loss, so many questions, so much pain. And I am entering a year so grateful for the health and the healing and the restoration that has happened.

Yeah.

And it's still in process for sure. Do not get me wrong. But like, there's this belief that I have that we belong together, we belong to one another. And so if this is just happening to me, then what the hell? That's ridiculous. That just feels so wasted in and of itself. It has to have some sort of ongoing impact.

I mean, the reframe you're describing is one of the most powerful things a brain can do under pressure. When we shift from this is happening to me, to this is happening for me, we're not just being naively, if I could say, optimistic.

Yeah, right.

We are doing something very specific neurologically, which people don't realize. We are literally activating the prefrontal cortex and the brain CEO right here instead of staying locked in the amygdala response in the fight or flight. And that single shift, it changes everything. And it changes what the brain makes available to us— problem solving, creativity, connection, forward planning.

Yeah.

That shift completely puts you in the right brain to do the right thing that helps you. And by helping you, you're helping others. So I love this story. And I, you know, and I'm sorry all of this happened. But, you know, maybe something about you leading this or going through it, the way that you were able to reframe it and use it for good, I think, you know, it was as horrible as it was. I think it was a good thing that it was in your own hands. Yeah.

And that's the crazy thing about being human, right? It's like 2 things can be true at the same time. It was horrible. It has been the most catastrophic 3 years of my life. We have lost so much. It has been so painful. It's been so disorienting. It's been a complete nightmare. And it has reshaped my company. It has given— I feel rewired in my DNA. I feel like a completely different human. And I am living into this next chapter in a very different way than if I would have stayed on that current trajectory, right? So 2 things can be true at the same time. And I love— part of what I love about your work and being able to be having this conversation on this podcast is, yes, how do our brains work for us? How do we train our brains in a way that align with who it is that we want to become and the impact that we want to have in the world?

Yeah. I mean, it's the difference between a brain in threat mode and a brain in growth mode. And basically your body was broken, but your brain found a way to stay in growth mode. Anyway, right? So you told me about, you know, we talked about your framework, the pillars of your work, and that it all stayed intact throughout all of this.

Yeah.

The structure did not change, but something did. You described it as a different level of embodiment. And I know, I know you just touched on that a little bit, but help me understand what that means in practice. What does a leader look like before that kind of embodiment? And what do they look like after?

Yeah. So we have a 6-part framework and it begins with physical. The 6 different parts are physical, emotional, mental, relational, spiritual, and renewal. They are in that order on purpose. They're interconnected with each other, but it begins with physical. So that was, that was something that was taught to me in my 20s, like 20 years ago when I was working with my very first coach. But we define physical as that your body is the basis for your whole life. It's the vehicle by which you do everything, everything, you know, without your body, you cease to exist, you don't function in the world. And we all know this, even from when you get a cold, right? Or you get the flu and you're like, well, canceled all the meetings for today, can't go to the office, like, got to bump everything and reconfigure, like, it just messes everything up when your body is not doing what it is that it is supposed to do. And so I have known this, I even experienced it through years of infertility, right? Like when your body doesn't do what it's quote unquote supposed to do, Right. It throws all kinds of things off. But for me, when I got diagnosed with my mold toxicity, I had to experience how my body was the basis for everything else in a very different way. It was the basis in my marriage, in my parenting. I would tell my kids to go unload the washing machine, but I'd be pointing at the dishwasher and they would look at me and like thought, Mom has lost her mind.

Right.

But it was the mold, and there was neural issues, right, that were happening with that. And so it impacted my business tremendously because I was no longer able to do anything that was creative or financial or strategic or tactical. Like it was, it had messed up so much stuff.

Right.

So I think that for a lot of us leaders, we rely on different parts of us. But to become more embodied, It's literally to be in your body.

Mm-hmm.

And so I would have to, on a daily basis, sometimes an hourly basis, be in my body feeling and paying attention to, listening for what is it that my body needs. Do I need to go take another nap? Do I need to go for a walk? Do I need to send this email? Do I need to look at this spreadsheet? What is it that I was able to do, and being embodied in a very different way versus having my task or to-do list or, you know, a boss, maybe for somebody who's listening, to dictate how it is that you go through your day. It just, it completely shifted how I listened and paid attention to and honored my body.

Right.

And out of that, then you're able to have so much more powerful leadership, impact, and influence. Because you're not operating from the outside in. You're operating from the inside out.

I love the inside out. I love that. I often talk about it because a lot of leaders— we talk to a lot of leaders. I work with a lot of leaders. And they're like, my team, my team, my team, external, external, external. But then, what about you? How are you?

Exactly.

Start there. And I love what you taught, what you shared about the physical. It's very important. And obviously, neuroscience backs that. That sequence completely. The brain runs on the body. You know, sleep deprivation alone actually reduces prefrontal cortex function by up to 30%. Can you imagine that? You know, and some people are like, yeah, yeah, I don't need much sleep. And they're like close to burnout. You work with C-suite leaders, founders, teams.

Yep.

Based on everything you have seen so far, what is the most common thing high-performing leaders get wrong about leading themselves Under pressure.

Yeah. I think a lot of leaders use and abuse their bodies. They're not embodied. That's true, right? Yes. We power up.

Yeah.

Power up. We push through. We force, we shove, we double down, right? We ignore all the warning signs. We're tired. We chug another cup of coffee. We feel anxious. We pop another Xanax. Like, there are ways and places for all of this kind of stuff, right? But for the most part, what I see for leaders is the external is driving everything.

Right.

It's whatever KPIs, metrics, goals, deadlines are in front of you, instead of moving from the inside out again. And so I fear that, you know, I lament that for leaders, because it's just like, we are using our bodies to just make all this other stuff happen, instead of letting our bodies help to guide us and align us. And when that part happens, oh my gosh, the impact of that is so powerful. It's like unstoppable. Because you're not powering up and pushing through and sucking it up. There is a flow that is very different.

Absolutely. I mean, I hear that constantly in leadership circles. Push through. I thrive under pressure to a certain extent. And I get it. The brain actually has a biological mechanism that makes this feel correct, the right thing in the short term. That's the keyword, in the short term.

Exactly.

Cortisol, and I'm sure you know this, cortisol and adrenaline, they create that created temporary that performance spike that, wow, we're doing so well. This is great. It's working for me. And the problem is not what's happening at the moment. It's what comes after that.

Yeah.

Because sustained cortisol pretty much damages your memory, the hippocampus, the learning center. It weakens your immune system. It narrows your perception. And leaders that live through that and they push through, you know, that push-through cycle, et cetera, literally running on borrowed, I guess, call it borrowed energy or borrowed time and capacity. And the body's sending signals to what you said, you know, so important to listen to those signals before the body sends a crisis. And your story, April, is a reminder of what happens when those signals get ignored.

Yeah. Long enough.

You know, it's actually fascinating. And again, I mean, I think we're all victims of this. And even when we're aware of it, we kind of fall back into the pattern of drive-through, tough, be tough, you know. But I think we know better now. And I hope our listeners, in a way, you know, I'm not saying we're the heroes. I'm just saying that it's something that you have to constantly remind yourself of because I don't know about you. I mean, I fall into that trap as well.

Absolutely.

Yeah. But I'm able now to recognize, oh, wake myself up and go, oh my God, okay, I've been doing this for the past day.

But it's a day.

Maybe it's an hour. It's not a year. That's the difference, right?

Yeah. You said a couple of things there that I just want to underscore because I think it's important for the listener, for the leader who's listening. One of the things my first coach said to me is life is not a marathon. It's a series of sprints. Those sprints are really valuable because they're, um, therein you experience the challenges, the pressure, all of the stuff that you just said is happening, right? Like there, there's an intensity there, but on the other side of the sprint, you need recovery. And that's why our 6-part framework ends with renewal. It is in that order on purpose because the renewal is where you actually process and metabolize stress. Which leads us back into the physical. If we are not metabolizing stress, it gets metastasized within our bodies. And stress is good, right? When we work out, like I worked out this morning, and you have to lift heavy in order to break down the muscle, in order to build the muscle, it has to be put under stress in order for there to be growth. But you can't work out the same muscle at the same weight every single day. Otherwise, there will be tears, there'll be damage, there will be injury. The same is true for the whole of our bodies. But for most leaders, we run from sprint to sprint to sprint to sprint to sprint to sprint. And then, and then we like crash on vacation and we come back and we're not even renewed because we're so overextended. We have pulled in those reserves for way too long. And like you said, we're, we're moving on borrowed time. And so I think it's really important to think about the sprints and then the recovery. For how is it that you are actually metabolizing your stress? And then the other thing that I want to say, just as a side note, but one of the things that felt really important to me when I got sick was I felt a lot of shame in the beginning because I was like, why didn't I see it coming? Why did I not know that I was experiencing and internalizing all of these toxins that was causing my body? And I don't, I can't go in retrospect and figure all of that stuff out. But one of the things that became very clear to me is it may not be my fault, but it is my responsibility. And sometimes things do happen to us that are not your fault. I did not ask for the mold to grow in my home.

Right.

I did not make petri dishes and put them underneath the cupboards and the ceilings and the floorboards and fester that mold. It wasn't my fault that happened, but it then became my responsibility. As leaders, that's one of the first things that we do is we take responsibility. And so, first and foremost, that has to happen with our body, with our recovery, with how we metabolize our stress.

Yeah, definitely. Thanks for sharing. I like the muscle analogy. I love the sprint and the putting stress on the muscle and the recovery part. That's always good. It's always good to understand and embody that when you have something visual or relatable to look into, to look To compare it against, right? So, okay, it's time for the rapid fire, right? Short answers, first instinct. We're gonna move through these. Uh, ready?

Yeah, I'm ready.

All right, so one word that describes how you led yourself through the hardest part of this experience. One word.

Tenderly.

What's that?

Tenderly.

Tenderly. I love it. The belief most leaders need to let go of right now?

That you have to be certain in order to move forward.

You don't have to have everything figured out. You can take that little step.

Awesome.

Best investment you have made in your own leadership capacity?

For the better part of 20 years, I have taken a silence and solitude day Every month.

That's amazing. Amazing. I've done a 4-part, 4-year, 4-day, no food, no water, no speaking with more on the Native First Nations traditions. And it was life-changing.

Liberating.

It's so good. And then, when you speak after that, just your voice is different. It's amazing how powerful that is. I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing. Okay, moving on. A book that shifted how you think.

So many. Um, I will say Brené Brown's Dare to Lead.

Oh, that's a really good one.

It's great. All right.

Well, for anyone listening who wants to go deeper with April's work, April, where do they find you and what is the best next step at this point?

Yeah. The best place to go is our website, azarenco.com. It's easy. And if you want to kind of tiptoe into what does this holistic leadership look like, how am I really doing, on our homepage, you can click onto the Whole Leader Snapshot. And it is really helpful to help, help you see kind of where you're doing well, where your blind spots are, and where it is that you need to tap into first in order to really lead yourself more holistically.

I did it. I loved it. It's a really great tool. Go do it. We'll leave the link in the description. I love when my guests add value to our listeners. Thanks, April.

Absolutely.

And for everyone listening, if today's conversation landed, if you recognize something in April's story about what happens when the foundation cracks under pressure, I want you to get your hands on my free Pressure Reset Scripts. I will leave the QR code here on screen. There are seven short, specific mental resets for real moments. So when that pressure is coming, it's pressing and it's high, and you need to think clearly and stay grounded. You could just download these. I will also say the URL will also be in the description: clairehayek.com/reset. Download them, use them; they're for you. And before I let you all go, reminder, reminder. This is so important. Subscribe to the NeuroLeadership Edge podcast. This is not just, hey, subscribe. No, there's a reason why I ask. Every subscriber helps the show grow, reach further, and bring you the caliber of guests and conversations that actually move the needle. So, by subscribing, the show becomes more popular and I'm able to attract different caliber of guests. And I'm blessed that I have wonderful guests like April joining us today. But let's all work at this as a community. This is, this is what, why I do it. I do want to bring value to you and to my guests as well. April, thank you for bringing your full story here today. It takes courage. It takes courage to be this honest about what broke and what you built. And that is, for me, that is true leadership. Any final words for our listeners?

Yeah, Claire, thank you. I think the thing that I tell leaders most often is you need to lead yourself holistically first. You are the only one that's responsible for that. No one else is going to take responsibility for that. That's nobody else's job. It's your job. And the degree to which you lead yourself holistically first has massive implications and impact on everything and anyone else in your world. So Start there. It's worth it. You're worth it.

Wise words, everyone. Wise words. Thanks so much, April. Lead boldly, stay human, and turn every challenge into a gift because they are gifts. See you all next week. Thanks so much, April.